14 die in chapel fire

First Edition

Seoul (AP) - A South Korean Buddhist angered at his wife's refusal to leave the Jehovah's Witnesses set a chapel on fire, killing 14 people and injuring at least 27.

Those killed included a two-year-old child. One victim died in a hospital after refusing blood transfusions. The death toll was expected to grow as some of the injured were seriously burnt.

Shouting 'Bring my wife back to me,' Won Un-shik poured petrol into the chapel and set it on fire when church officials said his wife was not there. About 90 people were trapped inside the second-floor church in Wonju, 46 miles east of Seoul, and rushed toward the only entrance, facing a narrow hallway.

Many people were engulfed in flames before they could escape, and others jumped from windows, suffering broken legs. Television footage showed bodies and debris tangled near the entrance and below broken windows.

'My wife should have been there. I feel sorry for killing many people,' the man said.